For Lions Foundation of Canada Dog Guides (LFCDG), every monthly donor contributes to something extraordinary: greater independence, confidence, and safety for Canadians living with disabilities. Providing Dog Guides at no cost, the Foundation supports people who are visually impaired, deaf or hard of hearing, on the autism spectrum, or living with medical or physical disabilities. As demand for these life changing programs grows, so does the need for stable, predictable revenue.

LFCDG set its sights on strengthening and expanding its monthly donor program. With a passionate but relatively small donor base and limited internal resources, the organization partnered with Harvey McKinnon Associates (HMA) and Keys Marketing Group (KMG) to explore how a multi channel approach could support sustainable growth. Over two years, the campaign evolved from early testing to a cohesive, integrated effort—ultimately increasing LFCDG’s monthly donor base by 40%.

Small base, big ambition

LFCDG faced a familiar sector challenge: how to scale a monthly giving program with a modest donor file, a lean team, and an already full program workload. Their goal wasn’t only to convert more donors—it was to create a system that could reliably support growth year after year. The question became: how can multiple channels work together so each one amplifies the others?

Year 1: Laying the groundwork

The first year focused on learning. LFCDG, guided by HMA, tested a digital lead generation campaign on social media and mailed a targeted direct mail appeal inviting recipients to join the monthly giving program. The organization followed up with some of the digital leads by phone and sent email outreach to reinforce the invitation.

These early efforts created a baseline: How did supporters react to monthly giving? Which stories resonated? Where were prospects dropping off? Year 1 didn’t aim for dramatic numbers—it aimed for insight. And those insights paved the way for the integrated approach that followed.

Year 2: Integration that transformed results

In Year 2, LFCDG and HMA invited KMG to join the campaign after identifying that follow up calling was a pain point in the previous year, allowing all three partners to build on foundational learning to create a stronger, more coordinated multi channel approach.

Strengthened digital strategy

HMA refined the digital lead generation program using Year 1 performance as a guide. Ads featuring authentic photos, a stuffed toy contest, short videos, and interactive elements such as quizzes significantly increased engagement. Throughout the campaign, the team monitored performance daily and adjusted the digital ads to prioritize the strongest performing creative, continuously refining images, copy, and calls to action to maximize results. This optimized approach produced six times more leads than the prior year.

Enhanced direct mail

The direct mail piece was updated with a sponsorship style look and feel and more focused storytelling, clearly illustrating the impact of monthly support on Dog Guide training and placement. This mailing also reached key segments of LFCDG’s donor base—including recent one time givers, lapsed monthly donors, and current monthly supporters—to ensure consistent messaging across the audiences most likely to respond.

A more connected telefundraising experience

Telefundraising support not only helped transform digital interest into meaningful monthly commitments, but also called the same donor segments reached through direct mail, providing a consistent, mission aligned experience across every audience. LFCDG connected directly with callers during the initial team meetings, reinforcing mission understanding. Calls were made within 24–48 hours of lead engagement, scripts were aligned with digital content so donors felt a consistent experience and adjusted based on conversations during the campaign. Agents received ongoing coaching and support.

This alignment created a smooth donor journey—from social media ad, to landing page, to direct mail, to a warm and informed phone call.
Conversions through conversation

The telefundraising component provided essential insight into donor motivations and helped cultivate long term relationships.

• 85% of leads who provided phone numbers were reached and were open to conversation.
• 10.21% of digital leads committed to give as monthly donors, with some fulfilling their gifts by phone and others choosing to give through different channels.
• Continuous communication between HMA, KMG, and LFCDG allowed for adjustments in real time, strengthening message alignment and donor engagement.

These conversations brought the mission to life—offering gratitude, answering questions, and helping donors feel confident about becoming ongoing supporters. The integration of consistent storytelling across channels, real time adjustments to digital and telefundraising approaches, and coordinated direct mail and email follow up to key segments all worked together to drive this success.

The results

The impact of the integrated, multi channel approach was clear:

• 40% increase in monthly donors across all channels
• 6× more digital leads compared to Year 1
• 17 month breakeven

Beyond these outcomes, LFCDG gained a deeper understanding of timing, storytelling, and channel coordination—insight that will shape future fundraising efforts.

Lessons for fundraisers

LFCDG’s experience offers practical lessons for organizations of all sizes:

• Integration creates lift. Digital, direct mail, and telefundraising each play unique roles—but together, they reinforce and strengthen donor engagement.
• Testing builds strategy. Year 1’s modest experimentation led to Year 2’s dramatic gains.
• Authentic storytelling matters. Real photos and real stories consistently outperformed staged imagery.
• Speed counts. Calling digital leads within 24–48 hours boosted both contact and conversion rates.
• Collaborative teams perform better. Open communication between agencies and the client allowed the campaign to evolve with donor feedback.

LFCDG’s two year journey illustrates what many fundraisers know intuitively: successful monthly giving programs aren’t built through one channel—they’re built through thoughtful, genuine moments of connection across many. When strategy, creativity, and meaningful conversation support one another, even a small donor base can achieve remarkable and lasting impact.

Karri LaJeunesse is a passionate fundraiser with 15 years of experience helping organizations create lasting impact. As a Senior Consultant at Harvey McKinnon Associates, she leads fundraising programs for Oxfam Canada, the Greater Vancouver Food Bank, and the Lions Foundation of Canada Dog Guides. Committed to continuous learning and staying ahead of fundraising trends, Karri thrives on working with mission-driven clients who are making the world a better place. karril@harveymckinnon.com.

Lisa Smith is a dynamic fundraising leader with over a decade of experience helping Canadian charities grow their donor bases and maximize impact. As Director of Operations at Keys Marketing Group, she specializes in telefundraising, donor engagement, and strategic marketing. With a background in PR, digital strategy, and nonprofit leadership, Lisa has spearheaded successful fundraising campaigns for organizations of all sizes. Passionate about ethical fundraising, data security, and innovative donor engagement, she brings a fresh perspective on building lasting supporter relationships. LisaS@KeysMarketingGroup.com